Kullu sits at the core of devbhooms (land of gods) Himachal, having 365 recognised deities as per some estimate. All these deities and related communities have unique cultural attributes and traditions. People celebrate variety of festivals according to the change of season as common in ancient indian way of life.
Our major festivals in seasonal sequence form basant (spring) season are as follows:
- Basant mela around April
- Sharubarn (ritual to stop or minimise hailstorm) ceremony occurs during Basant, where all deities go for parvat pooja to the joginis at hill tops. Mela occurs in Sainj, Dehuri, Larji, Anni, post teeth at various villages.
- Banjar mela, teeth of Shringa Rishi devta during May, when the deity goes to Jognis (feminine energy sources of Godess Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya) at hill tops and comes back
- Shadhnu mela, during Shadh (June-July) in Sainj valley
- Savan (monsoon) mela called as Shaniyach, when few deities visit jognis at hill tops
- Huume festival during bhadon (August), where slang occurs among people to invite deities, and people circumvent the village boundaries and play with masaal (firetouches)
- Post aswin (September), Shairi Mela starts all over the valley
- During the passive time of kathik and margsis (Oct-Dec), deities remains enshrouded with curtain, only to be opened during Maagh (January). After pat (curtain) opening, different teeth ceremonies occur across the valley on Sajha (the first day of Maagh).
- After 20 days, preparation for Faguli (festival of mask men) starts across the valley called as Chedda (playing of dhol and local instruments). During Magh (January), first and grandest fauli happen in Paldi. First day of Fagun (Febraury), the Faguli festival of the masked men occurs across the valley.
traditional kuluwi naati during Bhadon mela
Ceremonies during Paldi faguli
Mask men (madhyale) of Faguli
We are trying to promote and revive some of our traditions and festivals, especialy to strenghten the connect of communities with Tirthan river
Kulluwi (Saketi) Naati as common among communities during any festivals, ceremony, local mela (fairs) in the presence of local devta (deities). It is generally conducted post the rituals of deities on a particular teeth (days as per vikram samath calender)
KALAJATHA is group of artists at SAHARA who goes among local communities all over Kullu and Mandi districts to perform plays, nukkad, songs and stories for awareness, promotion and sensitivity among communities for environment, culture, government schemes for health and education, etc.
| Name of Artist | Role |
| Rakesh Sharma | Stage Director, folk singer, editor |
| Kewali Ram | Musician |
| Khem Singh Samdhu | Musician |
| Kamlesh | Actor, Drummer, Singer |
| Krishna Thakur | Dholak player, actor, Singer |
| Roop Lal Singh Thakur | Folk singer |
| Gulab Singh | Actor, Photographer |
| Vimala Devi | Actress, Dancer |
| Shaina Thakur | Folk singer |
| Koyla Thakur | Actress, Dancer |
| Sheela Devi | Actress, Dancer |
Street performance
We do awareness campaigns for forest rights act, and other social and environmental issues in the valley
Kalajatha Team at Urtu on Beti Bachao Scheme promotion
We are currently selected and formally engaged with Himachal Public Relation Department, to promote Educational and Health related government programmes
Nukkad and plays to sensitise communities for environmental and conservation issues
Our team played key role for sensitivation of communuties for environmental and wildlife issues arounf GHNP region, in its early formative years
Experiences (departments and organizations with which we conducted awareness programs) since 2000
- With Public Relations Department and NABARD during 2003 during Dussehra Mela regarding Plastic waste awareness via drama skit
- With Great Himalayan National Park (World Heritage Site) continuously during 2001-08 regarding wildlife and environmental conservation and medicinal plant cultivation via drama skit and cultural performance
- World Wildlife Fund during 2004 regarding wildlife conservation, medicinal plant cultivation-based income-based awareness via skits and cultural performance
- With Winrock International Organization 2003 to further build women SHGs and motivate local women regarding collectivization
- With an informal civil society organization Himalaya Niti Abhiyan during 2016-17,2021-22 regarding Forest Rights Act awareness via nukkad natak and motivational cultural performance
- With My Himachal, an American NGO, during 2016-17 regarding pregnant women vaccination and child immunization via nukkad natak and cultural performance
- Since July 2024- July 2026, selected with A-grade by Public Relation Department, Himachal government, for the promotion of education and health programmes of the government: State AIDS control society – promotional songs and nukkad plays; Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – promotional songs, nukkad for government schemes
Our popular COVID awareness song, composed by Rakesh Sharma, was adopted by district level government authorities for its campaigns